The torture and slaughter of Iraqi civilians is reaching unprecedented heights with estimates of up to 655,000 dead. Night after night death squads rampage through Iraq's main cities. In Baghdad, up to 100 bodies a day are dumped on the streets. Often they've been tortured with electric drills. Yet those doing the killing have little to do with al-Qaeda or Sunni insurgents. The majority of the killings are carried out by Shia death squads who want to turn Iraq into a Shia state aligned to Iran. This shocking film investigates the links between the death squads and high-ranking Shia politicians. It reveals how the Shia militia that these politicians control have systematically infiltrated and taken over police units and even entire government ministeries. It investigates how these units are closely linked to the death squads, indeed they often are the death squads. And the killers act with impunity; there's little investigation into their activities. "A classic piece of reporting." The Times "This remarkable film challenges much of the US rhetoric about the success of their campaign in Iraq..." The Telegraph Royal Television Society TV Journalism Awards 2005/2006 - winner best current affairs documentary - “… brought real insight to bear on the sectarian murder campaign at the centre of Iraq’s civil war. The Jury called it revelatory and ahead of the curve, and its impact was all the greater for the cool and authoritative reporting of Deborah Davies and her team.”
The torture and slaughter of Iraqi civilians is reaching unprecedented heights with estimates of up to 655,000 dead. Night after night death squads rampage through Iraq's main cities. In Baghdad, up to 100 bodies a day are dumped on the streets. Often they've been tortured with electric drills. Yet those doing the killing have little to do with al-Qaeda or Sunni insurgents. The majority of the killings are carried out by Shia death squads who want to turn Iraq into a Shia state aligned to Iran. This shocking film investigates the links between the death squads and high-ranking Shia politicians. It reveals how the Shia militia that these politicians control have systematically infiltrated and taken over police units and even entire government ministeries. It investigates how these units are closely linked to the death squads, indeed they often are the death squads. And the killers act with impunity; there's little investigation into their activities. "A classic piece of reporting." The Times "This remarkable film challenges much of the US rhetoric about the success of their campaign in Iraq..." The Telegraph Royal Television Society TV Journalism Awards 2005/2006 - winner best current affairs documentary - “… brought real insight to bear on the sectarian murder campaign at the centre of Iraq’s civil war. The Jury called it revelatory and ahead of the curve, and its impact was all the greater for the cool and authoritative reporting of Deborah Davies and her team.”
